So here is another update from the biking viking who is riding around Northeast Brazil at the moment, while cycling Sertao.

It has been 4 days since I set off from Teresina and I am now in a small village in the state of Piaui sipping a cold beer while the trucks are driving by and the kids are playing football next to the restaurant.

Nice roads with big trucks.

Long hills on the roads of Sertao.

The trucks have been a big part of my life the past few days as they make up the majority of the traffic on the main roads here in Northeast Brazil and I eat and sleep at truck stops as I am cycling here.

They are friendly laid back bunch though and I have so far not had any close encounters with them on my bike, but have shared quite a bit of coffee with them.

The roads here are much better than I expected and it has been a real joy to cycle with good road surface and a nice big shoulder on the road for those of us who are not motorized.

Only thing is these bloody hills here in Sertao, as this region of Northeast Brazil is also called.

They are so very very long and man have they made me tired the past few days.

Going up and down them in 30 to 40 degrees celsius is pretty hard, but with a bit of luck it might make the fat dane a little less fat in the long run so I am still happy 🙂

Vultures and all the things they eat when they get run over.

Vultures feasting on a dead animal along the road.

There is quite a bit of wildlife here and I almost ran over an iguana yesterday with my bike and I have seen a couple of quite big snakes as well.

And then you have all the dead animals on the side of the road that the vultures are eating.

I can’t always tell what animal it is as there are usually at least 20 of those big ugly birds on the animal feasting away.

At least they I know that they will clean up after me should I get run over by one of the trucks and make a right mess on the road 🙂

There is no Lonely Planet for the place I travel now.

Farm along the road in Sertao.

But the days have been real good and the people on the countryside in Northeast Brazil are a calm and friendly bunch who are always happy to talk to a visiting gringo.

Most people I come across up here has actually never spoken to a european before so they are curious in a very positive way.

I have been a regular visitor to Sertao over the past 20 years and the inhabitants here never fail to impress me with their nice attitude to a visiting foreigner.

I really enjoy being in a part of the world that is not covered by Lonely Planet or any other major guide book and I have no problem that I am not seeing any so called sights.

Riding my bicycle down an unknown road and talking to the people I meet along the way is much more adventurous than seeing famous buildings and staying in Hilton Hotels.

I hope you don’t mind if I quote you. You said, “Riding my bicycle down an unknown road and talking to the people I meet along the way is much more adventurous than seeing famous buildings and staying in Hilton Hotels.” I LOVE this and totally agree. There is so much more to see and experience.